What's your dinnerware?

Turquoise Fiestaware

Silver Service is Chantilly.

China is a Dior limited edition promotional pattern from the 1970s.

Fiesta in white and green. Buffalo green and white diner china (the kind with the green stripe).

From Thanksgiving to February I used Friendly Village when it was pot luck served buffet style. Such patterns are too heavy for a set place dinner service for more than 4, although they are nice at breakfast. I gave it away when I left the States for good but I miss it.

Silverware is Martha's faux bone and mismatched bakelite from the 40s/

r5 = 403 Forbidden

It's similar to this.

Sorry.

I have a total hodgepodge in my cabinets but have been slowly collecting an old Spode pattern with birds on branches (just because I think it’s pretty, not because it’s especially valuable).

I’m in the market for a new set of stainless steel flatware, if anyone has suggestions. Not fussy but not those very thin ones that stab you in the palm while you’re eating.

Plastic

Nice, r8 r5.

Fiestaware in all colors.

I just added two Bistro Latte Mugs in turquoise on sale at Macy's for $15.xx each.

Thanksgiving: my late mother's good china from the old country.

I love these threads. I think I've been a dish queen since I was a little boy, helping my grandmother polish silver every year for Thanksgiving or Christmas (we alternated with a cousin's family). It got me into Martha Stewart and, eventually, being a caterer. I loved to cook, as well.

My "good dishes" (I grew up in the country, we had the dishes and then the good dishes) are bone china with a narrow gold band around the edge. Very simple.

My every day dishes are Duralex... plain tempered glass.

A wooden trencher that’s always empty except for my tears.

Quite chic, R15

Darfur Orphan, is it your good dishes or just your dishes, though? Please follow the thread.

My everyday dishes are Dessert Rose by Franciscan.

Dixie

Celadon I bought in Thailand.

Everyday: Michael Graves for Target and good old plain white Corelle

Special Occasions: Lenox Tuxedo Gold and Rosenthal Versace (mixed patterns:La Mer, Butterfly Garden, Medusa)

I have Memphis design ceramic dinnerware that I bought in the 80s and a set of Christopher Stuart Calypso from the 90s, but they are in storage.

Definitely a hodgepodge (fun word). Most of my bowls are Cost Plus/Crate & Barrel. My dishes are from Norstadt Pottery, a gorgeous place that used to be on Bridgeway in Sausalito. Sadly they're out of business now and I only have 3 of their dishes + 1 bowl.

Cheap crap Sears. I don't care about stuff like that. If someone ever came to my house and DID care, we would not be friends any longer.

I had every color of Fiestaware from the 1980s up until 2018. Of course they weren't all place setting. I really loved it and left it behind after a breakup.

Now I have one dinner plate of the early pastels, Rose, Seamist Light blue and the 1980s pale yellow, a big limited issue Lilac bowl and some originals from the early 20th century...this is what we use/ Wish I had more formal stuff but I love the colorful settings

my great-grandmother's

Oneida Michelangelo stainless steel flatware. I bought a set of 4 from eBay, it's from the "cube" era, which is supposed to be better-quality. The salad / dessert fork seems cool with the pierced pattern, but I actually prefer the dinner fork for everything. It's a knock-off of Gorham Strasbourg or Chantilly. Other DLers can correct me here.

Dishes: all white except some flat, rectangular "trays" for snacks, etc. (They're blue and white and are from a Japanese store.)

R23 you're a tightass. Its perfectly routine for a dish queen to be friends with a non-dish-queen. It means the dish-queen doesn't react at all to his friends' meagre utilitarian material lives, does not reduce his friends to that, and vice versa.

Crate & Barrel ..... white

In my situation, the question remains "Dinner.... where?"

I have some 80s pastel fiesta along with the green and white. R24's post reminds me that if I ever tire of it, I must find a good gay home for it.

Is Fiestaware the mid century modern version of dishes?

Vintage Fiestaware was made between 1936 and 1973, r31, and while those dates pretty much span the middle of the century, its concentric circle design is Art Deco in influence. Also, Homer Laughlin has again been making it since 1986. So I think of it as Retro rather than MCM, something less elegant than the best of mid-century design.

What I mean to ask is this: is Fiesta part of the gay MCM sensibility? Does Fiesta go hand in hand with Danish Modern furniture in a Palm Springs second home?

Chinet.

Every day dinnerware is corelle in white.

For formal occasions I use my Lenox china, it’s the Hannah pattern with a platinum band.

Villeroy and bosch cortina. Simple, elegant.

We inherited some, bought others. It accumulates. About 20 sets with from 80 -600 pieces. Few people bother with it now, but we keep it clean and stored well. We lend the better stuff to non-profit groups doing events and caterers. We always have done a lot of dinner parties and political stuff, at least before COVID.

It's just us for the day, so an old Denby pattern we like. As it breaks we just add replacements. On Sunday we're using a simple white-and-blue 1903 T. Havilland from partner's grandmother because it goes with glassware from one of my great-grandmothers. The table will look all American and homey. Then quiet until a Swedish set for St. Lucy.

Weil Ware Malay Bambu

That Malay Bambu pattern looks perfect for brunch on a Wilton Manors lanai.

Special occasions: lomonosov cobalt net pattern. Have been eyeing special flatware but don't like polishing silver. I also collect baccarat richelieu patern drinkware

For regular days: V&B vieux luxembourg love the blue and white motif

Don't own really high-end china; have Mikasa French Countryside - 8 place settings and numerous serving pieces.

Flatware is good quality (I think) piss-elegant stuff I purchased from a restaurant supply.

Glassware is Villeroy and Boch.

Epicure

Corelle basic white, baby. It saves space, is lighter, very durable, and microwaves more evenly.

My fine china is Royal Doulton in the Olympia pattern, timeless and elegant.

It's plain Wedgwood Edme creamware. It looks better with crazing and the lunch plates are square. I've ditched the cups as they're too small. The bread plates once made great ashtrays.

If I had to choose between spending more money on flatware or dishes, I'd choose flatware. It doesn't have to be silver, can be stainless steel, just something relatively heavy and balanced / ergonomic.

Corelle is close to indestructible, I have dropped plates on my tile floors and they survived without a scratch.

I also like vintage plain white buffalo China, I have a few pieces that go from the oven to the table.

I like the idea of Corelle. I like that it's lightweight. Somehow, I do feel like I'm eating off of children's dishes, though. I don't mean to insult anyone. I'm an elder here and I think Corelle was originally marketed / used for children.

No, it wasn't, r47. I t was marketed to housewives who were mothers with klutzy kids.

R48 I remember my grandmother had a pattern like but in a mustard yellow.

Syracuse Millbrook

R45, I like Laguiole for weight. My red checkerboard set has faded to white over 15 years, however. The blades and tines are still good.

More a gold, r49?

Fifty two replies and no mention of Royal Doulton with the hand painted periwinkles. You gays should be ashamed. Just ashamed.

The fact is, dear one shaming herself in her cracked mirror at R53, that Royal Doulton has never made a pattern containing hand-painted (Please learn English.) periwinkles.

This sad fact leaves us quiet.

A real queen once kept Homer Laughlin BlueBird, but you cunts judged it too twee.

You may shame me out of my China, but I'll STILL torture Snow White's Disney song catalogue.

A sophisticated queen would prefer this Homer Laughlin pattern...

R52 That’s it!

Good china is Nikko Sapphire, good silver is Oneida Michaelangelo (sterling, not stainless. Inherited from an aunt). Everyday china is Blue Danube and everyday kitchen stainless is a mishmash of different pieces inherited from my mother and added to by myself as needed, usually from ebay. So while everything blends well and is complimentary to each other, nothing exactly matches.

Service for 12 of Taylorstone "Cathay" that I picked up at a yard sale. I don't own any "special occasion" china.

[quote] good silver is Oneida Michaelangelo (sterling, not stainless. Inherited from an aunt)

Wow, R58, I didn't even know that Oneida made the Michelangelo in sterling silver. I have the stainless steel, which I like.

[quote]hand-painted (Please learn English.)

Hand painted, handpainted and hand-painted are all acceptable. Please learn not to embarrass yourself publicly.

I would like to have the Tiffany Holiday set. not to use but to sell. I bought one plate this summer for $1. It was unused but because it had a little wear on the gold edge I sold it for $269 instead of the $300 they were going for. I would be scared to death to eat off a $300 plate because I know I would break it. When I got this one home I wrapped it up right away so I wouldn't damage it.

sigh

My everyday dishes i bought a 16 piece set from Pottery Barn 20 years ago and they still look good as new. They are just plain white, and i like that they go with anything.

My china is Noritake in the Ivy Lane pattern. It's about 30 years old and i only use it at Christmas.

I wish I had Jadeite.

My good china for holidays is Lenox Hamilton but I can't put it in the dishwasher because of the gold edging.

IKEA Oftast (plain white tempered glass; light and cheap) for everyday, plus some bigger bowls and side plates from where ever. Cutlery is big mix of whatever except for granma's bone handled Sheffield Steel butter knives, I love them.

"Eldergay" by Priss Pottery

Liberty Tabletop Honeybee pattern flatware (made in the USA) and Sur La Table white Bistro. I had Fiesta for years, but I think I just got tired of it.

For the people upthread looking for stainless flatware, look at Liberty Tabletop. It’s all made in the U.S., it’s high quality and they have a lot of different designs, both plain modern designs like Modern America, both matte and shiny finishes, and they also sell serving pieces in all the patterns, like soup spoons, long handled tea spoons and some other stuff. Some of simpler patterns also have matching steak knives.

There’s lots of very traditional, classic designs, and silly designs like Woodstock (flowers and peace signs), Calaveras (skulls) and a broad variety of others. Check out their website.

This is Sur La Table Bistro. Very plain white dishes.

Thanks for the link, R69. I've been needing some new flatware

My fine china is Royal Doulton with hand painted periwinkles.

R69, that's beautiful. I think you've posted that on another thread. If I did need flatware (I don't right now), I'd definitely consider that.

Good advise r69 the patern looks beautiful and it's not that expensive for a full setting. I may just go ahead and buy it

Lovely retro diner-ware, R56.

R58 I didn't know Oneida made sterling. I always thought of it as middle-brow stainless.

r56 r75 Check out @fishseddynyc

Wedgwood Hibiscus

Here is my set from Pottery Barn that is 20+ years old. It's plain, simple but stylish. I wish replacements had more pieces available. I am missing a salad plate.

IKEA 365

Same as R80, IKEA 365. Basic white plates. I have black bowls of another IKEA style.

Kitchen dishes are Denby "Jet".

Dinnerware is my grandmother's china "Royal Albert". china. Not valuable, but attractive, and its a complete setting for 8.

My sister's swooped in and got all of my mother's good china when she died. I did get the the crystal though.

Corelle feels hideous to the fingers. I don't mind tacky melamine however.

Really? No Atomic Starburst...

Royal Doulton 1815 is very durable and not too expensive. I use the plain white. It’s super durable.

To the poster up thread, I wouldn't consider Fiesta Ware to be MCM, more in the Art Deco feel. It seems kind of heavy looking for MCM.

It became MCM with the '50s colors, r86.

So odd... cool auction items I track have disappeared from inventory since Thanksgiving.

I guess they're not part of the discount ritual.

For the couple of people who've mentioned it, Oneida Silver did indeed make sterling, as well as silver-plate and stainless. Just take a look at the Oneida Silver page at Replacements.com - there are 26 pages to the list of patterns. Sadly, Oneida Silver went bankrupt in 2006, but their silver lives on. Tons of it on ebay.

I think Oneida ended up buying buffalo China years ago and still manufactures dinnerware that is similar but calls it bistro or diner dinnerware.

I’m surprised there is no mention of Pillivuyt coupe or Apilco which are excellent basic white dinnerware.

I have two sets of flatware from Lenox and my favorite is the Esquire.

I found a massive set of old French 925 silver service in Ghardaia, a town in the Algerian desert. I was tempted to keep it (it would have become one of my most glorious and queeny possessions) but the seller didn't know the value and that felt rapey. So I bought it and shipped it to a dealer friend in Geneva who gave me 9K in commission. I was too embarrassed to give some to the seller so I gave all the money to the only school in town (decrepit) dealing with special kids. I think anyone else with an eye would have bought and sold it for metal, locally, destroying it.

[quote]I’m surprised there is no mention of Pillivuyt coupe or Apilco which are excellent basic white dinnerware.

I had four placesettings of Apilco, but realized that yes, I really do hate white dinnerware. I gave it to a young couple a friend of mine knew who were setting up their household and had no money. I felt better for having done that than I ever felt using the Apilco myself.

I’m glad you found a good home for the Apilco dinnerware.

I personally love plain white dinnerware but I appreciate color and texture as well. I really like the Denby glazed dinnerware I saw in a shop recently.

90% of the patterns listed here, I would only use for dog dishes. Just pitiful.

R94 has coordinated its buffet tablecloth with bridal baskets and cruet sets to create a vomit of table colour.

There's a glue gun and Styrofoam balls there somewhere.

r95, has no concept of style or taste.

I would not waste my Royal Worcester double-glazed Avignon on anyone here, except the Wedgwood and Lenox aficionados.

For special occasions. Royal Copenhagen Blue flour and Meissen Flower for the coffee after

None of you queens have the Paloma Picasso for Villeroy & Boch?

The china was in some amazing patterns, too.

Hi Paloma Picasso/r98, r99!!

"90% of the patterns listed here, I would only use for dog dishes. Just pitiful."

Well at the least the dog would have an excellent table setting!

R99 - I really like that china pattern.

Plastic for everyday. Arty artisanal one of a kind pieces for formal.

I want to see that Memphis designed 80's set

Riviera

I thought I was the only one who used Corelle on a day to day basis until I started reading these tabletop threads. You make me feel better about myself.

We have a couple of sets of what might be that Mikasa French Countryside in our cabinets. I didn't register for day-to-day dishes and my husband's aunts seemed upset by that, so they bought us those. I like them, but why bother using them when we have the Corelle? Daily use stainless is a Faberware version of Gorham Shell. It's the same pattern but a lighter weight.

Formal china is Lenox Federal Gold with some accent pieces of Lenox Beaded Jewel. I never liked gold accented stainless when I was younger but the dishes really called for it so I got Gorham Golden Ribbon Edge.

My sterling is Gorham Buttercup and my silverplate set is Rogers Orange Blossom. I never use those because my husband hates the taste and feel of silver. It disgusts him. I collected those when I was younger but now I'm collecting some silverplate from around 1880. Not going to say what it is because I don't want to get anyone else interested in the pattern. It's hard enough to find as it is.

For Oneida fans...

I don't have good glassware. I buy things here and there. I told my mom I can't tell the difference between good glassware and cheap glassware and she said I would be able to tell the difference, but I can't.

I bought my first Corelleware for my cats but I liked it so much I got some for myself.

Mikasa Star Track. Discontinued since 2000 but I can still find replacement pieces when I break one.

[quote] I don't have good glassware. I buy things here and there. I told my mom I can't tell the difference between good glassware and cheap glassware and she said I would be able to tell the difference, but I can't.

What about the lip of the glass, R108? That might give you a hint about the quality. I bought some Reidel water glasses a couple of years ago. Frankly, a couple of them had flaws (like a small bump in the glass that felt like a pebble, also a small chip or two on another one). However, the ones that did not have imperfections were good quality. They seem fragile, though.

My everyday dishes are Apple by Franciscan Ware. They remind me of gramma. I felt extra validated when I visited Graceland and saw this pattern was Elvis' dinnerware.

[bold]It’s a Fine Time for Fine China[bold]

Fine china — the delicate, sometimes fussy tableware long associated with wedding registries and your grandmother’s cabinet — has found a new, more relaxed place at the table.

Whether a Herend soup dish adorned with a wild boar or a gilded Lenox dessert plate rimmed with a Greek key pattern, fans of using fine china, which is usually made with porcelain, say it makes everyday meals far more celebratory than the minimalist earthenware popular in the past few years ever could.

Laura Chautin, 29, an artist in Manhattan, said that spending time at home led her to use her “good plates” more.

“Plates that I had been saving, I now use them every day,” said Ms. Chautin, who has also made a collection of porcelain tableware featuring delicate floral patterns. “It just feels special — why not use things that make you happy on a day-to-day basis?”

more at link

Fiestaware, everyday.

Everyday use is Correlleware...just so damned unbreakable. Purchased in mid-90's and still looks great. Fine china - 16 place setting of Sango Japan Versailles pattern (inherited from grandmother).

Another Fiestaware!

Caribe ware platters from Puerto Rico for sloppy foods and Pyrex plates, white with blue stripe around the edge, for not so sloppy foods, all dishwasher safe. No silverware, all stainless, throw it in the dishwasher. Random Syracuse China cups at cetera. All pretty durable. Clutzware!

These dishes from Gordon Ramsey/ Royal Doulton. They are easy- I will never buy dishes or towels etc that aren't white again. I want life to be easy and bleach makes it easier. Plus I can replace the dishes that break piecemeal which I like.

Dixie Plates. The 2022 Collection.

Wedgwood Lavender grapes on cream (from my parents wedding), sterling flatware: Tiffany Faneuil, Spode. Loud Clipper Ships (everyday), Cuthbertson Christmas Tree at Christmas…..

Tiffany and Company..........the casual White and Tiffany Blue collection...........NOT the Tokyo Imperial Hotel Tiffany collection..........

We ate it.

Pfaltzgraff. The river design from years ago. It’s my every day set. The gold trimmed and white fancy set I got from mum; it’s been a year, this January, since I got it. Rip mum.

Dessert Rose for non-formal dinners.

For formal dinner, I have a set of Christian Dior limited edition from the late 1960s or very early 1970s that my grandmother picked-up at a high-falutin silent charity auction around 1971.

^^^What is the Dior pattern?

Has anyone ever heard of or have information on the obsolete china maker Vogue Ceramic Industries?

For special occasions, my grandmother's service for 12 of Noritake "Azalea."

For everyday, Corelle "Butterfly Gold" (breakfast and lunch) and Corelle "Blue Heather" (dinner).

For flatware, Oneida "Tempo" (the 1920s one with the interlocking lines pattern, not the plain later "Tempo").

I’m surprised that I missed this thread back in November; I love these.

For Thanksgiving I use Mikasa French Embassy Red, with Whiting/Gorham Louis XV sterling flatware and Wedgwood Majesty stemware.

For Christmas, I use Spode’s Christmas Rose, with Gorham Versailles sterling and Rosenthal Monbijou stemware.

R128, do you mean the Oneida silverplated flaware from 1930ish?

r130 Yes, right you are!

r129, invite me for Thanksgiving.

R129, we have French Embassy Red as our formal china, too! I live just looking at it. I also collected my paternal grandmother's pattern from the 20s: tiny circle/line pattern in black and gold around the edges and glorious gold, geometric handles for the tea ups and serving ware. Heinrich & Co.. She may have married a scumbag, but she did have good taste in china.

"Manor House" pattern is very plain but elegant. What do you think<<<